Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS
ACP
Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (Panama Canal Authority)
Afro-Antillano
Panamanian of African heritage from the West Indies
Afro-Colonial
Panamanian of African heritage from the Spanish colonial era
ANAM
Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Department for the Environment)
ANCON
Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza - Panama's most prominent environmental
NGO
artesanías
traditional handicrafts
ATP
Autoridad de Turismo Panamá
barrio
neighbourhood; suburb
bohío
see rancho
bomba
pump at a petrol station, often shorthand for the petrol station itself
cacique
chief (originally a colonial term, now used for elected leaders/figureheads of indigenous comarcas)
campesino
peasant farmer
cantina
local, hard-drinking bar, usually men-only
chiva
rural bus, which may be a converted pick-up
colectivo
shared taxi/minibus, usually following fixed route (can also be applied to a boat - lancha colectiva)
colono
generally a mestizo farming settler who originated from the Azuero Peninsula and central areas and moved
to colonize other parts of the country
comarca
semi-autonomous area demarcated for the major indigenous peoples
cordillera
mountain range
diablo rojo
colourful painted buses of Panama City
feria
fair (market); also a town fête
finca
ranch, farm or plantation
gringo/gringa
any light-skinned foreigner, particularly a North American
guardaparque
park warden
huaca
pre-Columbian gold treasure buried with the dead in a tomb
INAC
Instituto Nacional de Arte y Cultura (government department in charge of museums and preservation of cul-
tural heritage)
indígeno/a
an indigenous person (also used adjectivally)
ladino
a vague term - applied to people it means Spanish-influenced as opposed to indigenous, and at its most spe-
cific defines someone of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood
mestizo
person of mixed indigenous and Spanish blood, though like the term ladino it has more cultural than racial
significance
metate
pre-Colombian stone table used for grinding corn
mochilero
backpacker
montuno
traditional male costume consisting of a loose cotton shirt and knee-length trousers
